Ancient Turkey Bones In Mexico Reveal A Strange Relationship With Humans
New tests reveal humans have long raised the birds, and not just for food. Ancient Mesoamericans were buried with turkeys, perhaps as snacks, companions or status symbols. There was even a turkey god.
In 1519, conquistador Hernán Cortés wrote a letter home to Spain from Mexico, detailing a surprising element of the local cuisine. "They roast many chickens ... which are as large as peacocks."
Cortés was a little confused about the giant chickens, because he'd never encountered this bird before. Europeans ate chicken, so he projected his understanding of poultry onto some strange new birds. But he was wrong. The peacock-sized birds were turkeys.
These turkeys from Mexico eventually made it back to Spain, and the rest of Europe, then crossed the Atlantic to the eastern United States after that. Now that turkey mainly features
